Dual cam track knitting apparatus



2 1960 L. MISHCON ETAL DUAL CAM TRACK KNITTING APPARATUS Filed May 21, 1959 FIG.2

JNVENTORS Lester Mishcon Alvi A. Agulnek ATTORNEY 6 Claims. (Cl. 66-38) This invention relates to knitting and, more particularly, to a multi feed knitting machine having a pair of cammed raceways located one above the other and each cooperable with the butts of a different series of needles to raise andlower the needles of its associated series between selected levels at each feed. The invention is also directed to a novel method of selectively raising and lowering the needles of a knitting machine.

As the invention is more particularly applicable to an open top jersey or circular knitting machine, although not limited thereto, it will be described, by way of specific example, as incorporated in an open top jersey orcircular knitting machine.

A machine of this type comprises a vertical cylinder formed with a series of vertical slots acting as guides for vertically reciprocable needles, usually of the latch type, cooperable with radially reciprocable dial elements, such as sinkers, web holders, or dial needles to perform a desired knitting sequence. The cylinder needles, as well as the dial elements, are provided with butts engageable with suitable cams for reciprocating the needles and dial elements. Usually the cylinder and dial rotate and the cams are stationary, but the reverse relation is sometimes used.

The cylinder needles are lifted to the latch clearing (knit), tuck, or Welt position by riser cams, and drawn down to various levels, such as the stitch position, by stitch cams. The riser and stitch cams cooperate to form rates Patent O- Long Island City, N.Y., a corporation of v a raceway along which the cylinder needle butts travel as they move past the several yarn feeding stations. Other cam means, associated with the dial elements, extend and' retract these elements in selectively coordinated relation with the vertical movements of the cylinder needles. Pattern wheels and jacks are sometimes used in association with the riser and stitch cams to further selectively control the movements of the cylinder needles.

There is usually a set of riser and stitch cams at each yarn feeding station, and this means that, with a single cam raceway and without relative elaborate, costly and complicated special provisions, all the cylinder needles follow the same pattern of motion at any particular yarn feeding station. This fact has imposed serious limitations on the flexibility of the knitting sequence and the texture, hand and uniformity of the knit fabric.

In accordance with the present invention, the flexibility of the knitting sequence, as well as the texture, hand and uniformity of the knit fabric, is greatly enhanced by a novel cam, cam support arrangement, and cam adjustment arrangement at each yarn feeding station, and involving the provision of a pair of vertically spaced cam raceways including an upper raceway cooperable with the butts of relatively short needles and a lower raceway cooperable with the butts of relatively longer needles.

At each yarn feeding station, there is a pair of vertically aligned stitch cams independently adjustable as to elevation to which the cylinder needles are drawn down. A pair of vertically aligned riser cams are also provided at each station to cooperate with the pair of stitch cams 2,941,383 Patented June 21, 1 960 Preferably, two pairs of such stitch cams andtwo pairs of such riser cams cooperable therewith are mounted on each of a number of individual cam mounting blocks which are segmental in plan and have an arcuate extent covering a pair of yarn feeding stations. These blocks, when secured to a mounting plate in contiguous relation, form an annulus of cam support blocks.

Each block has a pair of circumferentially spaced vertical bores therein opening outwardly through relatively narrow slots in the face of the block nearest the needle cylinder. Mounted in each bore, one above the other, are a pair of posts, the lower post being biased upwardly by a spring in the bottom of the bore. Each upper post has a passage extending longitudinally thereof and slid ably receiving a pin engaging the lower post. ,A thumb screw threaded into the passage engages the pin therein to adjust its degree of projection and thus the vertical spacing of the posts. Each upper post also has a substantially degree V notch in its surface engaged by a second thumb screw threaded into a horizontal passage in the block and cooperable with the V notch to adjust the posts vertically of their slot. Thus, this combination of adjustments provides for independent setting of the vertical position of the pair of posts.

A stitch cam is secured to each post, and thus the stitch cams of each vertically aligned pair are independently positionable at .selected levels. The cooperating riser cams are secured to the face of eachblock just below the upper stitch cams and the lower stitch cams.

The long and short needles may be arranged in the cylinder slots in any desired sequence, such as in alternation for example. As each short needle passes a yarn feeding station, the upper riser and stitch cams will move the needle between a first set of selected levels. As each long needle passes a yarn feeding station, the lower riser and stitch cams will move such long needle between a second set of selected levels which may or may not be identical with the first set of selected levels. For example, the short needles may tuck at a selected station and the long needles knit at the same station. Also, at the same station, one series of needles may cast off and the other series retain their drawn stitches. Thereby, great flexibility of operation is attained in a novel, simple and relatively inexpensive manner.

The stitch cams may be readily changed by lifting their posts out of the associated bore and replacing the posts with other posts having stitch cams of diiferent design secured thereto, thus changing the draw-down level of the needles at any particular station. Also, the level to which the needles are raised at any station may be readily changed by replacingthe riser cam thereat.

In a typical machine there may be provided 32 cam mounting segmental blocks comprising a total of 64 stations. 1

For an understanding of the invention principles,- ref.- erence is made to the following description of a typical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a partial radial sectional view through an open top jersey knitting machine embodying the invention, the dial elements being omitted for clarity;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of one of the cam support or mounting blocks;

Fig. 3 is an outside elevation view of a mounting block with cams mounted thereon;

Fig. 4 is a partial elevation view illustrating the cam positioning and spacing means; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view essentially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

complete understanding of theinvention. Standard posts thereof, such as the cam means for operating the sinkers or dial'elements, as well. as the dialelements per se, have been omitted for the sake of clarity, as these dial elements coact with the cylinder needles inthe same manner as they would in a standard machine not embodying the invention.

Machine comprises an annular stationary base plate 11 having a peripheral'notch 12 spaced above a wider annular ledge 13. Outwardly and downwardly of ledge 13, plate 11 is formed with an upwardly opening channel14'. An annular cam supporting plate 15 has its inner edge secured in notch 12 by bolts 16, and is formed with a cam block positioning lip 17 on its upper surface. Plate 15 has tapped holes (not shown) at predetermined locations to receive studs or bolts 18 securing the cam blocks thereto at each feed.

A ring gear 20 has a bearing. engagement on ledge 13' and also bears against; the undersurface and outer perpihery of plate 15.

with gear teeth 22 meshing with the teeth of suitable driving gear means (not. shown). The: upwardly offset rim: 23 of gear 20, whichvbears against the periphery ofplate' 15, has an annular lip- 24 on'its upper surface at its inner periphery, and: lip 24. serves as a locating and positioning means for needle cylinder" 30. In the illustrated machine, plates 11. and 15, as Well as the cams, are stationary and the cylinder 30v on ring gear 20 is rotatable. However, the inventionis applicable equally to the case where the needlecylinder is stationary and the cams and cam blocks are revolvable.

Needle cylinder 30 is of conventional construction, and is secured to rim 23 by bolts 26. Cylinder 30 hasthe usual circimfuerentially spaced vertc'ally extending slots on its inner surface receiving cylinder needles cooperat ing with dial elements, such as sinkers; web holder; of needles which are radially movable, under camcontrol, in slots 27 of a dial plate or sinker rest rotatable in synchronismwith cylinder 30.

In accordance with the invention, the cams operating on the butts of the cylinder needles are mounted; on segmental or arcuate blocks 35- mountethin circumfer entially adjacent relation, around the external periphery An annular rib 21 on gear 20- extends into channel 14 and has. its lowersurface formed- 4 By turning screw 45, the vertical spacing of posts 40A and 40B is readily adjusted.

Also, the rear surface of each post 40A is formed with a V notch 46 engaged by the inner end of a thumb screw 47 threaded into the associated passage 38. Notches 46 have an included angle of the order of 90 degrees. By turning thumb screws'47, the vertical position of each upper" post 40A is adjustable, and each associated lower post iscorrespondingly adjusted vertically by virtue of spring 42 biasing post 40B upwardly to engage pin 44 in turnheld against upward movement in post 40A by thumb screw 45.

Thus, both the vertical position and the vertical spacing of each pair of posts A, 40B are adjustable by the combination of spring 42, 511144, screw 45, notch 46, and screw 47.

Each post 40A and 40B has its surface exposed through slot 41 tapped to receive countersunk screws 51 mounting a stitch cam' 50A or 50B, respectively, on the posts. Due to the aforementioned adjustability of the vertical positioning and spacing ofposts 40A and 403, the vertically aligned upper and lower stitchcams 50A and 50B; respectively, are correspondingly readily adjustable as to elevation and vertical spacing.

Upper and lowerriser cams 55A and 55B, respectively','are secured to surface 38 of portion 32 by countersunkscrews. Cam 55A cooperates with cams 50A to form an upper raceway 60A for the butts ofshort needles; Similarly, cam 55B cooperates with cams 5013 to form a lower raceway 60B for the butts of long needles. Riser cams 55A, 55B may lift the needles to any one of the latch clearing (knit), tuck, orwelt positions, dependent upon the design of the'riser cams. If the lifting surface of a cam 55A or 55B rises to apoint, it lifts a needle to the latch clearing position whereas; if the lifting surface ends in a short fiat, the needles are lifted only to the tuck position. A longer flat at a lower level results of plate 15 against rib 17. Each block 35 includes a base31 secured to plate 15 bythe studs 18, and an upright portion 32. The outer edge of base 31 is formed with. a downwardly and outwardly opening notch' fitting over' rib 17 so that the'radially outersurface of portion 32 is substantially flush withthe outer'peripheral surface of plate 15.

Upright portion 32 of each-block 35 is formed with a pair of circumferentially spaced, vertically extending bores 33 opening through the top ofthe block and having smaller diameter. spring seating recesses-34 extending coaxially from the lower ends thereof. A rib 36 extends along the inner surface of portion 32 of each block 35 and, at the general level of this rib, a pair of-radial tapped passages 37 are formed through portion 32 in alignment with the respective bores 33. It will be noted that bores 33 are tangent to the outer surface 38 of port ion 32 over a' small arc, so that each bore 33 opensthrough such outer surface to form a" vertical slot 41;

Each bore 33 receives a pair of upper and lower cylindricalposts 40A and 40B, respectively, having, a sliding fit in thebore. Lower posts 40B seatagainst coil springs 42in spring seats 34; Each post 40A has alongitudinal passage 43 extending therethrough'eccentri'cto its'axis and slidably receivinga pin44 engaging'the upper end of the associated lower post'40Bf Eachpassage43' is tapped over at least the upperhalf of itslength'to receive a thumb screw 45 hearing against the upper end of pin 4'4.

in-the needles being lifted only to the welt position.

Thus, in Fig. 3,.the center section of cam 55A will lift a short needle 65' only to the tuck position, whereas the left section will lift a short needle'65 to the'latch clearing position. The rcverse'is true of lower cam 55B operating on the longer needles 70. Furthermore, the stitch cams may have different sizesandshapes, as illustrated by the cams 50A, 50B of Figr3'uandthe camsSllA and 50B of Fig. 4..

The foregoing description pertains specifically to the incorporation of the invention'in an opentop jersey type knitting machine; Howeveigitis believed apparent that the double raceway arrangement is not limited thereto but may be readily incorporated in other knitting machines such as a double bed'rib machine.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shownand described in-detail to illustrate the application ofthe inventionprinciples, it will lie-understood thatthe invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles;

What is claimed is:

1. In a multi-feed knitting-machine of the open top jersey type including a needle cylinder formed with parallel slots alo'ng which needles are movable by cams engaging the needle butts, andcam support means in yarn'feed for mo'ving the-needles selectively to the latch clearing, tuck and'welt positions, and'stitch cams ateach y'a-rn feed for moving the needles toward the stitch position'; there being o'ue" stitch cam at each-yarn l feed for each raceway, and such stitch cams being aligned in the direction of needle movement; all needles which are raised to take yarn at any yarn feed and which are then drawn down by stitch cams, taking the same yarn at such yarn feed; said cam support means including plural segmental cam support blocks conjointly forming an annulus, and each block mounting at least one pair of stitch cams and at least one pair of riser cams respectively cooperable with the stitch cams.

2. A multi-feed knitting machine of the open top jersy type as claimed in claim 1 in which said blocks are interchangeably mounted around a circular support element. 3. A multi-feed knitting machine of the open top jersey type as claimed in claim 2 in which each block includes a base secured to the support element and an upright portion having a surface facing said cylinder; the up right portion having a pair of bores formed therein parallel to the direction of needle movement and spaced arcuately a distance substantially equal to the arcuate spacing of the yarn feeds, the bores opening through said surface to form slots therein; each bore having a spring seating recess opening coaxially into its bottom end; a coil spring in each recess; a pair of posts in end to end relation in each bore, the bottom post engaging the coil spring; first means for adjusting the position of the upper post along its bore; second means for adjusting the spacing of the upper and lower posts; and a stitch cam secured to each post and overlying said surface.

4. A multi-feed knitting machine of the open top jersey type as claimed in claim 3 in which said first adjusting means comprises a V notch in the upper posts and a screw threaded through the support block and engaging said notch.

5. A muiti-feed knitting machine of the open top jersey type as claimed in claim 3 in which said second adjusting means comprises a passage formed longitudinally through the upper post; a pin slidable in said passage and engaging the lower post; and a screw threaded into said passage and engaging the upper end of said pin.

6. A multi-feed knitting machine of the open top jersey type as claimed in claim 3 in which said first adjusting means comprises a V notch in the upper post and a screw threaded through the support block and engaging said notch; and said second adjusting means comprises a passage formed longitudinally through the upper post; a pin slidable in said passage and engaging the lower post; and a screw threaded into said passage and engaging the upper end of said pin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 646,474 Steber Apr. 3, 1900 1,034,521 Scott Aug. 6, 1912 1,200,451 Ballard Oct. 10, 1916 2,617,282 Reichert Nov. 11, 1952 

